Stargazing by Celine Washington (VOICES Poetry Competition Winner, Spring 2025)

“I can see the brown in your eyes; a color between my skin and yours”
he uttered gently with that transcendental eye contact

It’s like,
staring through a telescope directed towards the unknown
I see a mahogany milky way orbiting two twinkling, shining stars 
different from those momentary shooting balls of gas
these stars stay consistent, they feel pure
In fact they’re nothing like those meaningless allures
these stars could make any solar system illuminate

Eye contact has always been my weakness 
when the stars in his eyes align with mine
he blocks the sun from shining on anything else
It’s a complete, total solar eclipse
our stargazes confirm this ain’t another shaky rocket ship— It’s cosmic
three, two, one, we have safely blasted off
soon we’ll arrive at saturn
wrapped up in a ring made with rocks
nothing in the galaxy seems to combust our commitment or compassion
it’s like we’re air-locked

I can see the brown in your eyes?
It wasn’t even a compliment, just an observation
still the tone of his voice got me hypnotized 
like he’s sitting in a planetarium mesmerized 
eager to connect constellations
every comment hits my heart like a comet
only a few more collisions before my walls completely disintegrate 
left to float in space with no suit
vulnerable to the unknown
that stares back at me through a telescope